Pigments

The world of virtual synthesizers is vast and fascinating. While many will argue that the sound produced by hardware synths is difficult to achieve in the realm of digital, the versatility and flexibility of virtual instruments are also hard to beat.

As you probably know, there are many types of synthesis available: subtractive, additive, wavetable, frequency modulation, sample-based, etc. While some instruments can only employ one type of synthesis, others, like Pigments, can do a whole lot more.

In order to produce its bright and colorful sounds, Pigments employs two sound engines. That may not sound like a lot, until you realize that each of them can be used in three separate modes: Analog, Wavetable, and Sample.

Analog mode is your basic subtractive synthesis, with each engine being able to handle three oscillators at the same time. Wavetable mode employs, well, wavetable synthesis, enabling you to morph waveforms in many different ways. Finally, Sample mode gives you access to hundreds of creative samples that you can edit and use to build your soundscapes.

Moreover, you get two filters, modulation from three envelopes and three LFOs, three effect buses with three effects each, an arpeggiator/sequencer, and plenty of other features. It’s already obvious that this is one of the most versatile virtual synths available.

If you’re new to the world of synths, the crowded interface may seem a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, Arturia has implemented a few in-app tutorials that should get you started. You may find the colorful interface is, in fact, quite easy-to-use, so it won’t take you long until you become familiar with even the most advanced options.

For starters, you should browse the huge library of presets and figure out the instrument’s capabilities. I’m far from being an expert, but in the short amount of time I spent testing Pigments, I thought that I understood what sound design heaven feels like.